The present invention relates to holders for compact discs (CDs), specifically holder trays in which CDs are sold and stored. Most current CD holder trays have central engagement means for holding the center hole of a CD when the CD is nested within the tray. Commonly, those engagement means are rosettes. The rosettes usually are a series of tines raised in a circle and radially extending inward towards a center pushing area. When the CD is nested within the tray and the raised portions of the tines engage the center hole, the CD is supposed to be extracted by pushing the center area with the index finger to tilt the raised areas and disengage the CD while simultaneously pulling up on the outer edges of the CD with the thumb and middle finger.
Several problems exist with this method. A first problem relates to the materials with which the tray and rosette are normally constructed. Rigid plastic materials are typically used for the rosette, making it hard to push on the center pushing area without hurting the user's index finger. Therefore, it is common for a user to forego pushing the rosette and simply grasp the outer edges of the CD and force the CD off the rosette. This can cause warping or breaking of the CD and damage to the center rosette.
Alternatively, because of the contortions involved in having to use three fingers to extract the CD, a user may have to use two hands to extract the CD or may try to push the center area without lifting simultaneously. In that case, the rosette reengages the central hole of the CD and the subsequent upward force on the outer edges of the CD unnecessarily damages it.
One present method incorporates a pushing part provided in the rosette of the CD holder tray which ejects the CD as well as disengages the center hole. However, this method is deficient in that it incorporates the use of rigid plastic material, and repeated depression and bending of rigid plastic materials weakens the elastic properties, causing breakage and warping.
There exists a need for a CD holder tray which incorporates a simple central engagement and ejection device, which can be made of inexpensive and easily moldable material which retains its elastic qualities through repeated usages.
Another problem associated with current CD holders is insertion into trays. While optimally depression of the central area aids in extraction of the CD from the tray, the distortions involved make it nearly impossible to depress the central area when inserting the CD into the tray. The difficult procedure involves aligning the center hole with the circle of raised tines and pressing down on the CD until the tines engage the center. This causes undue friction on the edges of the center hole when those edges are forced over the raised sections of the tines. There exists a need for facilitating easier insertion of the CDs onto holder tray.